PAKISTAN'S Shahid Afridi has been banned for one Test and two one-day internationals after deliberately scuffing the wicket in the second Test against England in Faisalabad yesterday.

Afridi was captured on camera roughing up one of the ends with his foot during a stoppage of play in the evening session.

Play was halted during England's first innings when a soft-drinks gas cylinder exploded at the side of the pitch. Afridi then apparently took the opportunity to exacerbate some of the bowlers' foot marks as ground security assessed the situation.

The intention of such an act would have been to try to increase the advantage he and team-mate Danish Kaneria would have when bowling leg-spin into the rough. England already face the difficult task of having to bat last on the wicket.

Umpire Darrell Hair later noticed the difference in the area, as did England opener Marcus Trescothick when they prepared to resume play.

Afridi was found guilty of a level three breach of the International Cricket Council's code of conduct, which refers to conduct against the spirit of the game.

The incident overshadows what had been a spectacular return to the Pakistan side for Afridi.

The 25-year-old had been left out of the first Test in Multan but hit 92 from 85 balls in Pakistan's first-innings 462.

The ban will effectively rule him out of the third Test and opening two one-dayers against England, all of which take place in Lahore.

Earlier - against a background of security fears, a fatal bomb which went off in Karachi last week has already put England's one-day international there in doubt next month - the noises of cricket were silenced by a frighteningly loud bang on the boundary edge at the Iqbal Stadium.

The crowd scattered from the immediate area around advertising hoardings as play was suspended for around 10 minutes, Trescothick and his colleagues were surrounded by a cordon of police officers before experts satisfied themselves the cause of the explosion was nothing more sinister than a gas build-up in a soft-drinks dispenser.

Trescothick, batting with Ian Bell at the time as England struggled to stay in the Test match against Pakistan, admitted his initial reactions were of fear and serious concern.

"It was pretty frightening," he said. "You don't expect things like that. When you are out in the middle and suddenly a big noise like that happens it shocks you.

"My instant reaction was that it was something serious, because it's so different to anything you are expecting."

While attention was diverted following the explosion, Afridi was caught on television cameras scraping his boots with dubious intent on an already worn surface which has so far given all bowlers precious little help but can be expected to assist the spinners over the next three days.

Inzamam-ul-Haq (109) had made a more legitimate bid to carry the headlines with his 23rd Test century, equalling Javed Miandad's Pakistan record, to underpin his side's formidable total of 462 all out.

But, on the ground where Mike Gatting and Shakoor Rana fell out in one of cricket's most notorious impasses 18 years ago, even Inzamam's admirable innings could not conclude without its own claim to controversy via a third-umpire "run-out" decision which appeared to be at odds with the laws of the game.

His firm drive back at Stephen Harmison saw the bowler throw down the stumps. Inzamam, standing safely in his crease, moved aside to avoid injury but was judged to have raised his feet in the air in doing so and after a consultation with third umpire was given run out.

Alfridi had already smashed another hectic succession of fours and sixes before going for 92 off 85 balls on an eventful day which ended with England's Ashes heroes' hopes of somehow salvaging a seventh successive series victory hanging precariously on the collective ability of an exposed middle order to resuscitate a vulnerable 113 for three into something competitive.